YORKSHIRE MAIZE GROWERS CAN BENEFIT FROM EARLINESS AND YIELD!

Choosing reliable maize varieties that are early maturing is essential for maize growers in the north of England, but that doesn’t mean losing out on yield, says Limagrain UK’s Tim Richmond. There are varieties that you can rely on to combine earliness as well as yield - Destiny has a proven track record in Yorkshire, and new this year is Artist, an ultra early variety being grown for the first time in the north. Mr Richmond explains: “Because of the weather and climate conditions in Yorkshire and the north of England, it’s important that only early maturing varieties are grown here. These, in effect, require a shorter growing season than later maturing ones. This means that the crop has time to mature, and for the sugars in the cob to be converted to starch, by harvest. And harvest itself, needs to take place before the wet winter weather sets in. “Today, there is a wide choice of early maturing varieties. However, growers should be wary – some of the early maturing varieties that were first introduced several years ago are actually very low in yield compared to modern varieties. In some cases, yields are 20% below the performance of established newer varieties that have come onto the List in the past few years, he advises. According to the company, one of the early maturing varieties that does have good yields and has already proven popular with Yorkshire maize growers is Destiny.

Destiny is a maturity class 8 variety and combines the characteristics of early maturity with high yield. On the NIAB List for 2009, it yields 16.63t/ha, and 5.67t/ha for starch.

Destiny’s outstanding performance in Yorkshire’s marginal climate has already been noted by David Lewis of seed specialists WE Jameson. He says: “The past two years have been difficult ones for growing maize."

“Despite this, Destiny crops grown last year were very successful – their cobs ripened well compared to other varieties, and good starch levels were achieved. In fact, Destiny has performed consistently well over the past four years, and under a range of different field situations.”

Newly available from WE Jameson’s this season, in limited quantities, is a very early maturing variety called Artist. This product of the highly successful LG maize breeding programme combines reliability of performance together with the bonus of improved whole plant digestibility, derived from Limagrain Genetics, giving it a high energy value.

When it makes its debut on the NIAB List for 2010, it is predicted to be a highly placed maturity class 10 and be one of the earliest maturing varieties available.

Mr Lewis comments: “Artist certainly looks good on paper. It promises above average yields of bulk, and will be high in quality, being starch-rich and highly digestible. Varieties like this with a relatively short growing season are ideal for maize growers here in the north.”

Early maturing maize variety Destiny has a proven track record in Yorkshire, and has performed consistently well in a range of growing conditions.